The charity helping northern state students reach our best universities

FAQ

Who’s involved?

Our teachers and mentors come from all types of schools, as well as from academia and the professions. They share exceptional academic records and a passion for teaching.

Do you means test or have rigid criteria about students’ backgrounds?

No. All students in our target neighbourhoods are disadvantaged in terms of reaching our most competitive universities. Almost all these neighbourhoods are in bottom 20% for the proportion of students who go on to elite universities.

Why does the programme not cost schools more?

We have substantial funding from other sources, allowing us to subsidise the programme heavily.

What about safeguarding?

All staff are DBS checked. We follow national guidelines when organising residential schools – in just the way any school would.

Is it all about Oxbridge?

No. We aim to foster curiosity and to broaden horizons. Oxbridge colleges provide unique ways of achieving this, as is shown in the numbers of very able students who want to study there. In our first project – Reach Higher – we will be working with students aiming for the three UK institutions currently ranked in the world top ten – Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London. But we believe this will be an exceptional experience for students irrespective of the university they end up at.

Why the Linacre Institute?

“Friend of learning; loved by men of all classes”. This epitaph to Thomas Linacre sums up the ethos of the Institute founded in his name. A 16th century doctor, teacher and humanist scholar, Linacre went from obscure beginnings in north Derbyshire to become tutor to Erasmus and found the Royal College of Physicians, which helped root out doctors who exploited the poor. He sought to create a society in which citizens were freed from ignorance and could play their full part.